Day 9: Rest day - Melide

22 May:
Patricia had suggested a rest day, and with the few extra km they have walked, and a bit of tweaking the mileages from now on, we chose today as our free day.
We would leave Bolboreta to go to Melide so we got Angela to organise two taxis for to take us to Pambre Castle after breakfast. Built in the 14th c it is one of the few military castles that survived the Irmandinos uprising of 15th century.  The Irish lady decided to come along after all so we had a full complement in the two taxis.

The castle gates were closed when we got there but at 11am a car arrived and a woman opened the gates so that we could go inside. One can only imagine the power of the nobility over the peasants and the hold they had over agriculture in Galicia from these castles, built on high bluffs looking over hills and valleys for miles around.
An interesting finding for me was a mason sign in a stone right next to the entrance that I have also seen in Santiago cathedral. Was it the same mason?  Was it his son? The registered signs were passed down from father to son and were unique to each mason.  This was Bob's favourite outing on the walk and he said afterward that it was a highlight for him.
After exploring the castle we dropped Adrian back at the albergue together with Malcolm from Australia who we had invited to join our outing. Then we were taken to Melide and the Hotel Carlos which is run by a friendly family who have been there since 1996. Our rooms weren't ready so we sat outside in the sun and ordered a snack for lunch.

Pat and Janet like to have their main meals at lunchtime. (Pat says that they have their dinner at about 4h30pm at home in Texas.)  So they don't usually have an evening meal.  Reinette doesn't like to eat at night either but she will join the group and once she sees what they eating, she will relent and have something to eat. Bob needs to fill his tall frame so he can have breakfast, lunch and dinner. He says he used to eat twice as much as he does now and that as he has gotten older he has become about 3" shorter.  Adrian likes to have breakfast and will have dinner most nights. The Irish lady often eats in her room and does a lot of grocery shopping but she enjoys having lunch and/or dinner with the group when possible.  I rarely have the Spanish breakfast which is mostly bread and coffee but I like to have dinner with the group at night.

Day 8: Campanilla to Melide

I spent most of yesterday working out a new walking schedule that would include another rest day. I decided that the day after staying at Albergue Bolboeta in Casanova could be the best day.
On Tuesday morning Xacotrans came for our luggage and the taxis came for the group to take them to Campanilla/Coto. 
After a few days rest the Irish lady thought she might be able to walk if the road was flat and even.  I got the taxi to drop us within 100m of Bolboreta and we walked down the road to the albergue. She wanted to keep going so she turned and walked back along the flat part of the road.

Bolboreta is a lovely stone Casa about 2km from the Camino path at Casanova and is in a gorgeous, rural setting with forests, fields and a tiny village close by.
Our rooms weren't ready so we sat outside in the sun and the owner brought us coffee and little cakes.  I was telling her about our small group that stayed there in Sept 2011 and my phone beeped. It was a message from Bell Russell, one of the pilgrims who had stayed there with me on that trip. I haven't heard from Bell in a year so it was serendipitous to get a message from her at that moment!

The rest of the group arrived and we checked into our rooms. Adrian wanted to check out an alternate route to Coto so he, Reinette and I did a long walk through the village, up along a tarred toad, all the way back to Casanova and the albergue.  We had a lovely communal meal at the albergue and made plans for the next day.  Pambre Castle, one of the best preserved military castles in Spain, is just 4km away so we decided to get two taxis to take us to the Castle and then to Melide.

The Irish lady wasn't interested in the castle so she would have a lie in and we would come back for her afterward and drop Adrian off so that he could do an extra walk.
When we finally put the light out in our room Reinette and I just laughed because it didn't make any difference with the sun still shining outside.  Eventually the sun set and we had a lovely glow in the room with a rising moon  over the forest.

Day 7: Palas de Rei to Campanilla

We didn't need taxis this morning as we started from our pension and followed the yellow arrows out of town. The Irish lady had decided to rest another day before venturing out on the Camino and I must admit that it was great to be back walking with the group and especially with Isa who would walk 2 days with us before travelling to Lugo to get a bus to El Ferrol where she would start walking the Camino Ingles.
We reached San Xulian, a picturesque village about 3.5km away, Pat went on ahead and Janet kept looking ahead down the trail where you could see pilgrims emerge from the village onto the path. When Pat didn't appear, I walked to then end, and out of the village, to find her sitting on a wall waiting for us.

It isn't easy to get lost on the Camino,  but Pat never knows where she is going,  or where she has come from,  doesn't carry any money, hasn't got a cell phone and can't speak the language. So, Janet doesn't let her get too far ahead or out of sight!
We continued on to Campanilla and after a rest stop phoned Angela, our lovely taxi owner, to collect us and take us back to Palas de Rei.  The Irish lady was sitting in the Plaza when we got back so we joined her and I ordered some tapas for us to share.

Everyone who sees theVeloped is always most curious about it as it is quite large (but very light) and looks as though it could be motorised.  I'm not sure how one could walk with it if it was motorised - it would be like pushing a lawn mower and could run away with you!

Day 6: Eirexe to Palas de Rei

When the group walks1 km or 2km more than planned I have to redo the daily walking schedule.  My master copy, taken from the Godesalco website, had so many scribbles and crossing out lines that I had to ask Reinette to give me hers.
Today, we should have started from A Previsa but having walked an extra 2.1km the taxis took the group to Eirexe where they had finished off yesterday.
The Irish lady couldn't walk again today but she had to get to Palas de Rei so I stayed behind and we got taxis to the Pension Ignacio in Palas de Rei. I went down to the main street to the Pension Bar Plaza to let Antia know that we had arrived. As I was settling in the Xacotrans van arrived with the luggage so I put the bags in their respective rooms.

I always choose Reinette and my room close to the Irish lady in case she needs us.  (The following night she had such severe sweats that she nearly called me at 3am). She said that being so ill she wondered if she was going to die on the Camino and that was the reason for her strong urge to be here. In the middle-ages people believed that if you died on the Camino you would go straight to heaven and bypass purgatory.  So far, travelling all this way and being so ill, and the freezing cold, has been like purgatory for her!  She has only been able to venture out a couple of days and hasn't been able to get any real walking done but she also hasn't been well enough to travel back home.  It's been a bit of a conundrum. 
We went down to the Bar Plaza and had a lovely toasted sandwich made with square bread - not a bocadillo - and waited for the others to arrive.  It was still cold but we found a place in the square which was quite sheltered and in the sun.

Day 5: Gonzar to A Pevisa (and Eirexe)

The group (sans the Irish lady and I - she wasn't feeling up to walking) had taken the taxis to Gonzar to continue walking to A Pevisa 7.1km away. They had felt strong and continued after Previsa to Eirexe another 2 km down the trail.  When they returned, they decided to go to the O Mirador so that Janet could have the delicious fruit platter I'd had the day before.

I waited in all day for Isa to arrive and when the owner showed her where I was sitting we had a happy, hugging, reunion! The albergue was full but they allowed her to share my room with the double bunk. 
I waited for Isa to change and shower and then joined the group at O Mirador for a drink.  It started pouring with rain and we made our way back to the albergue.

Bob, Adrian, Isa and I went to dinner at a little place run by an Italian who had walked the Via Francigena.  The pizzas Bob and I had were great but Isa and Adrian's pasta was not good and they both had problems during the night with upset stomachs.

Day 4: Portomarin to Gonzar

Day 4:
The Irish lady had a fever and hot sweats and there was no way she could walk in the cold today so I got to walk with the group again, which was lovely.   

It was a long climb up from the bridge, through the forest to where the path joins the road at a brick factory. There is nowhere to stop between Portomarin and Gonzar (8km) so we enjoyed the scenery and the path  which followed the road for most of the way. The heavy rains of the last few days (months?) had made the path very muddy in parts and we did some road walking as well.
Reinette was feeling a little shaky today and could feel a migraine coming.  Janet's knee had started to hurt on the down hills: Pat felt the cold terribly but by dressing in layers she was able to brave walking with the group.

We arrived at Gonzar and all ordered hot drinks and food. David, our taxi-man came to collect us and take us back to Portomarin.

Day 3: Mercadoiro to Portomarin

Day 3
The Irish lady decided that she might try a couple of km today.  The group was taken back to Mercadoiro and she and I were dropped a few km along the path.  It was cold and windy. We walked a bit and then stopped.  The road was fairly flat so she sat and I pushed her on the walker.  Then she tried walking with her sticks but tired soon after.
We found a patch of sunshine and sat in the sun for a while. After an hour she was feeling sweaty and weak.  I called Reinette and asked her to phone David (our trusty Portomarin taxi owner) and tell him where we were, about a km from where we had started.  We waited at a cross-road at the taxi came to take us to Portomarin.

The others arrived after lunch.  I got an email from Isa to say that she would arrive in Sarria the next day and would walk to Portomarin.  Reinette and I walked around the square, visited the supermarket and a couple of little shops.  That night we ate out at the O Mirador. Pat and Janet don't like evening meals so Pat joined us for a while but Janet and the other lady didn't venture out.

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Day 2: Morgade to Mercadoiro

Day 2
The morning was cold and grey. The Irish lady was in two minds about walking. She had sweated throughout the night and her head was pounding. "I feel as though I have done a few rounds with Mike Tyson" she said.  The taxis came for us at 9am and dropped us off at Morgade.  Belin would take our baggage to Portomarin.
She and I would try a km or two whilst the others walked on. We walked a few steps, stopped, walked a few more, stopped.  She sat on the walker and I pushed her where it was flat but even a slight incline exhausted her and she was too heavy for me to push uphill.  After an hour or so, and probably not more than a km, she was feeling weak so I called a taxi.

We arrived at the Pension but the room wasn't ready so we went to a café-bar in the square and had a hot drink.  They advertised that they had rooms and while we were there a German couple arrived and asked for a room but the young man told them they were full - completo. He offered to find them a room elsewhere and started phoning around.
Albergue Ultreia is uphill from the square and Pension Caminante (where she and Reinettte shared a room) is in a side street before the Albergue. When her room was ready I took her back to the Pension. The bathroom was a wet-room, especially designed for people with disabilities.  The toilet was so high that she could barely get onto it.  The shower area had no curtain and the water went all over the floor making it slippery and dangerous.  Understandably she wasn't very happy with it.
Jose arrived with the baggage from Sarria and I was able to check into our rooms.
I took the room with a double bunk and the others had double rooms.  The owners are a lovely family.  Warm and kind they made us feel welcome and their two charming daughters made a point of introducing themselves and welcoming us to their albergue.
By lunch time the albergue was full as was the one across the road. Pilgrims spoke of full albergues in most small and large towns and of having to walk long distances to find beds.  "More pilgrims are booking rooms ahead," said one pilgrim, "and this means there are no beds left for us".  Another pilgrim defended his right to book beds at private albergues or pensiones.  "Who is 'us'? He asked. "Am I and  my wife not part of the pelgrims? We knew that the Camino is going to be busy in May so I booked my beds" he said.  "We are all pelgrims - we are all 'us'. when you go on holiday you cant expect special treatment when you arrive and the hotel is full."  I left the dining room as others joined in and the discussion became heated.
The others arrived back from their walk and settled into their rooms. It started raining and we spent most of the day in the albergue.

At 5pm we got taxis to take us to Vilacha where we had a lovely meal with Gordon Bell in Casa Banderas. We met Johan from Cape Town and two German girls who arrived as we were leaving. It was raining again and the forecast was for much of the same the next day.

Day 1: Barbadelo to Morgade

Day 1
It is 4.5km from Sarria to Barbadelo.  Miguel Angel, the taxi driver we had used from the bus station to the pension, came with 2 other taxis to take us to a point 49m from the last Casa in Barbadelo where the 106km to Santiago waymark is.

The Irish lady was exhilarated to be walking with her Trionic Veloped walker. The path started off flat and not too difficult to negotiate.  Pilgrims walking past clapped, called her 'valiant' and most took photos.

We thought she might manage a couple of km but we kept going after the 2km mark, even when the path became difficult with stone slabs up a torrent course.  Adrian and I carried the Veloped while she walked up the path using her sticks. After about 2 km of partly walking, partly pushing we came to a very basic stop with a table bearing a thermos flask of tea and coffee and a few packets of cake.
We stopped for a lukewarm and then she sat on the walker's seat while Adrian pushed her along the road.

We stopped again a bit further on for a hot cup of Cola Cao and then after another difficult section, Negotiating stone blocks alongside a river, she started to flag.  Pushing, walking and being pused we had covered about 4km.  She had never walked 2km in her life and was exhausted by the effort of walking, pushing and being pushed.  I called a taxi and she and I went back to Sarria while the others continued to Morgade.
Although it was only 6.2km today to Morgade, the others returned quite tired from their walk. Adrian was still feeling the effects of his long flight. Bob was proud that he had taken the first day in his stride (quite a long stride too with his long legs), Pat and Janet were happy that their feet had held up and Reinette was euphoric having loved every moment of walk.
Besides the weather not being very kind with almost freezing temperatures and cold winds we hadn't had any rain and our Caracoles had done well and were looking forward to the next stage on this slow Camino.

Lugo and Sarria

I waited for Ivar Revke outside the Hospederia. He brought the box with the 20 copies of Camino Lingo which Paul had sent to Santiago for Reinette. We had a chat and then I called my friend Luis Angel (a Santiago taxi owner) to collect us at 10am to take us to the bus station.  He organised two taxis to take  the 4 of us.

The bus left at 11am and all the way to Lugo we could see pilgrims hiking on the Camino paths. It looks like the Camino is going to be very busy. When we arrived in Lugo we found the taxi rank, loaded our stuff into two taxis and told them to take us to the Hotel Puerta de San Pedro.  The taxi driver looked at us in surprise and pointed to a building about 250m away!  We told one driver to drive the Irish lady and our bags to the hotel across the road and the rest of us walked.

After checking in we walked to the 'gate' in the wall and entered the old city. The Lugo walls are the best preserved complete Roman walls in Spain and one can walk on the top, around the circumference of the walls for about 2.5km.  I got a message from Adrian. His Iberia flight was delayed by 9 hours and he wouldn't be able to meet us in Lugo after all.  He would catch up with us in Sarria instead.

We had a few tapas and drinks then walked to the church and had a look at the Roman baths where hot springs once bubbled up.  We returned to our hotel and decided to order dinner in.  The receptionist, a lovely, accommodating young woman, set a table for us and we phoned a nearby Italian take-away restaurant for dinner. Bob kept us in awe of his stories about his previous Camino walks and in stitches with his lovely sense of humour. After dinner we returned to our rooms and resorted our baggage.
In the morning we dragged our bags across the road to the bus station, bought tickets to Sarria and found the lifts to go downstairs to the platforms.  Our bus left at 12h45 and we arrived in Sarria half an hour later.

We found two taxis to take us to Pension Escalinata.  I had a small daypack with 4 bottles of Amarula and Mrs Balls chutney for Gordon Bell.  I gave one Amarula to Jose and when Gordon arrived, gave him the other bottles. Someone called my name - it was Janet who was sitting with her mother Pat at an outside table.  Not long after, that Adrian arrived. Our Camino Caracoles were all there.
 Belin arrived to take us to the apartments where we would stay for two nights.  Once we were all settled into our rooms - the guys in a room with an en suite shower - Reinette and I went down to the river and found a nice sidewalk café-bar called 'Santiago' where we ordered different tapa dishes for lunch.
That night we went back to the Restaurant Santiago for dinner.  I gave each one a South African beaded badge and a pin as well as the little name magnets I had found in Santiago.  I then started the 'Breaking the Ice' discussion where each one in turn told us their name, what they liked to be called, where they lived, a place they might have lived before and when they had first heard about the Camino.  When it came to Adrian`s turn we listened enthralled as he told us about his extensive experience in the hotel world, living in many different countries around the world where he learned to speak about 8 different languages.  He and his Manchester born wife live in Costa Rica.
I told them that the taxis would pick us up at 8:30am to take us to Barbadelo where we would start walking.  we walked back to the pension, to our respective rooms, all excited about the start of our Slow Camino the next day.